Heath Ledger Directed Modest Mouse Video

03/13/09 12:33pm

Academy Award-winning actor Heath Ledger apparently directed an unreleased music video for Modest Mouse's "King Rat" in London, England before he died in New York City 14 months ago, according to a new Entertainment Weekly article on film director Terry Gilliam.

Gilliam was directing Ledger in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus when the actor died of a drug overdose that has left the film's future in limbo despite Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepping in to replace him. The film doesn't yet have a U.S. distribution deal.

"Heath Ledger's been wanting to do a video for one of the songs that didn't make it on the record, 'King Rat,'" Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock said in an interview with VH1.com in the spring of 2007. "Terry Gilliam is going to help animate it.

"Heath and I have a mutual friend and when we were in Australia, my fiance and some of us in the band went out on a boat with him and his family and friends and talked about the idea. He's got a video production company and was interested in working on something. We were talking back and forth for a while.

"The idea seemed sort of dropped, but then he just sent me an email saying that he wanted to do it. And I love me some Terry Gilliam. I hope it works out and I don't sound like a fucking liar at the end of this."

The status of the video is unknown at this point.

Ledger was a music fan and directed videos for N'fa, Nick Drake and Ben Harper. Ledger and Harper announced that they were forming a record label called Masses Music Co. two years ago. Their first signing was Australian singer Grace Woodroofe, and Ledger directed the video for her cover of David Bowie's "Quicksand."

Ledger planned to direct a biopic on Drake, who committed suicide via a drug overdose in 1978. Ledger also introduced bands at the I'm Not There Bob Dylan tribute concert and was one of the six actors who portrayed Dylan in I'm Not There.

Modest Mouse have an EP, apparently titled No One's First And You're Next, due in early August, according to the band's Interstate-8 fan site. "King Rat," "The Whale Song," "Satellite Skin," "Autumn Beds," "I've Got It All (Most)" are all rumoured to be included, possibly along with "Tie The Lake Down" and a track said to be titled "History."

Modest Mouse are finishing their U.S. tour with these performances:

March 13 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
March 14 Philadelphia, PA @ The Electric Factory
March 15 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
March 18 New York, NY @ Late Show With David Letterman